Pride season kickoff sends important message across N.L., says St. John's Pride

Pride groups, political parties, police and more raised the Progress Pride flag at Confederation Building in St. John's on Thursday tocelebrate diversity in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Events were also held in other townsto mark the start of Pride Month in Canada and with events planned beyondJune across the province Pride season in N.L.

St. John's activistGemma Hickey said they never get tired of seeing the flag raised.

"Every time I come here for these events I well up, and today I'm even more pleased [with] the turnout. Every year I'm more pleased," Hickey saidThursday.

"I remember being involved in Pride when I was a lot younger. There was only like 15 of us at the Pride parades. And, you know, it's just so incredible to see thousands come out for Pride now, 'cause there's strength in numbers."

Gender Equality Minister Pam Parsons said it was great to see a full house for the ceremony and ring in the start of Pride events across the province.

"I look back to the '90s, we didn't see these. We didn't see these sorts of events," Parsons said. "[Today] everybody's standing shoulder to shoulder, and that's what we need."

Representation from all three of the province's major political parties was importantto EddySt. Coeur, co-chair of St. John's Pride. He said it sends a strong message to members of the LGBTQcommunity both near and far.

"It's important for us to have Pride so that people in the community, especially young people in the community or anybody that's landing here from any corner of the globe see that there's a community of people who love and support them, and a place that where they can belong," he said.

That feeling of acceptance is also important to Colin McNeil, deputy chief of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, who represented the organization at the ceremony. As a police service, he said, it's important to the RNC to be representative of the community that they police.

"It goes right to our core values of our organization, and it's essential to the acceptance of the police service within the community."

Pride festivities are quickly approaching, St. Coeur said,highlighted by the annual St. John's Pride parade on July 23. It will be the first parade since 2019, since it wascancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021and because of extreme heat last year.

The group is also working with other Pride groups around the province to help in their festivities.

"Rather than the Pride board prescribing and saying,'This is what Pride is going be this year,' we're really trying to go out into the community and say, 'Tell us what you're doing, and let's make one big festival that we can all be excited about,'" said St. Coeur.

I feel more connected to the community than I ever have in my life.- Mason Woodward

Happy Valley-Goose Bay residents also gathered for a flag-raising in the community on Thursday.

Mason Woodward, who wasborn and raised in the region, left Labrador for college while exploring what it meant to be queer. After returning to Goose Bay during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said,he's seen a lot of growth in the local queer community.

"Returning to a remote community, it was a little bit of a shock at first," Woodward said.

"But since I moved back here two years ago I've discovered that the queer community here is alive and thriving. And I feel more connected to the community than I ever have in my life."

While Woodward said it's great to see Pride in the spotlight over the month of June, he is highlighting the importance of Pride every day.

"There is an increased noise of hate for the queer community. You know, we have seen a lot of thathate, and there's so many organizations and communities documenting that hate," he said.

"Every time you open Facebook, every time you open Twitter, you see a new terrible thing that you have to read but every time you hear or see that one negative thing, just look around at all the other people who are there to support you. That's what makes it easier to get through it."

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